Chris Verner – författare

Volume One of James Ronald Stories of Crime and Detection contains three pulp fiction novelettes and one novel, featuring Police Surgeon turned amateur sleuth Daniel Britling. The unassuming-but missing nothing-Police Surgeon is cast in the great tradition of Golden Age Detective Fiction sleuths. This is the first ever collection of Daniel Britling stories, originally published between 1930 and 1932. Included in this collection are: The Green Ghost Murder Introducing police surgeon Daniel Britling and his twin sister Eunice, who have traveled to Mersey for a recuperative break. When a local legend, the Green Ghost of Heaton Forest, returns to haunt the local inhabitants, Britling must find a murderer before he strikes twice. Too Many Motives Mark Savile celebrates his 54th birthday by perversely inviting four men to dine at his home who hate him, and goading them until one punches him. An hour later, Savile is found dead. This story is included in Robert Adey's Locked Room Murders and Other Impossible Crimes (1979)Find The Lady When impulsive Lady Frances Dorian disappears from the Royal Lancaster Hotel in Brighton without being seen leaving, Daniel Britling agrees to do some private sleuthing.Six Were to Die Seven financiers indulged in illegal practices, and about to be caught by the police, put all the blame on one member of their party, who went to prison for a long term. When he comes out, his plans for revenge are signalled to each man in advance. PlusBlind Man's Bluff (a short story)

Vol II Stories of Crime and Detection contains one novel, a novelette and a short story:Murder in the Family  Stephen Osborne has just lost his job, not a good one and not one he particularly enjoyed. But at 50-some years of age in the Depression era and with no savings, he doesn’t know how he’s going to provide for his large family except by asking his sister, a wealthy woman, to help him financially. Unfortunately, Octavia Osborne is a most unpleasant person. During her annual visit to Stephen’s home, she not only refuses to help but tells the family that she is writing all of them out of her will. Bad timing on her part, for while she is sitting in a room with her niece, who is engrossed in a book, someone comes in and chokes her, causing death by heart failure.  This novel was made into a 1938 British crime film starring Barry Jones and Jessica Tandy.The Monocled Man (also known as The Gentleman Crook)   Chicago gangster Pete Carponi and his associates, ‘Shorty’, ‘Squiffy’ and the alluring ‘Cincinnati Sadie’, are transported to London in pursuit of ‘The Dude’ and a stolen diamondThe Second Bottle.  A tense and suspenseful short story that takes place in a diner in the US during a cold hard winter.

‘The perfect murder must be so simple that no one would suspect it to be murder.’Stories of Crime and Detection Volume III contains a novel, a novelette and a short story:This Way Out Philip Marshall is locked in a long and hellish marriage with his wife Cora, with divorce not an option. Cora delights in tormenting Philip, ready to pour bile in his ear at the slightest provocation; complaining of “his weaknesses…his failure as a money-maker…his deficiencies as a lover” to almost anyone who will listen. Home life is so unpleasant that their son John has moved out, telling his landlady he is an orphan. By chance, Philip meets young Mary Grey and finds the warmth and tenderness his life has missed. Longing for escape and a chance at redemption, Philip begins planning the perfect murder, but things do not go to plan... This Way Out was the basis of the Charles Laughton movie The Suspect (1944). Diamonds of Death A humorous ‘pulp fiction’ story that involves a stolen diamond necklace, American gangsters, murder and romance.Ruined by Water What happens when you mix a crooked bank clerk and a new reservoir?

‘I shall kill you, one by one, and I’ll get away with it.  They can’t hang me.’ Stories of Crime & Detection Volume Four contains a novel and three short stories:They Can’t Hang Me Lucius Marplay has spent the past twenty years in an asylum, having made countless threats against the four men who took over The Echo, the London newspaper that he once owned.  A visit from an old friend gives Marplay an opportunity to escape, and soon he begins a scheme of revenge.  His daughter Joan, having just discovered that her father is in fact alive, rather than dead as she had always been told, endeavours to track him down to talk sense into him. But as the four newspaper men begin to die one by one, can anyone catch this clever murderer, a man capable of vanishing into thin air?  They Can’t Hang Me was adapted for the screen as The Witness Vanishes (1939).The Man Who Came Back. An escaped convict has a minor road accident and discovers something unexpected.Accident The unpleasant Marlay’s death was an accident, but Daphne and Peter are afraid to call the police for fear they will be implicated. Instead, they concoct a plan….Out of the Fog A short story set during Prohibition in the U.S. JAMES JACK RONALD (1905-1972) was a prolific writer of pulp fiction, mystery stories and dramatic novels. Raised in Glasgow, Ronald moved to Chicago aged seventeen to ‘earn his fortune’, later returning to the UK to pursue a writing career. His early works were serializations and short stories syndicated in newspapers and magazines around the world. Ronald wrote under a number of pseudonyms, including Michael Crombie, Kirk Wales, Peter Gale, Mark Ellison and Kenneth Streeter among others. Several books were adapted into films, including Murder in the Family (1938), The Witness Vanishes (1939), and The Suspect (1944).

Miss Elspeth Brownrigg, an elderly spinster who devotes her money and her life to an orphanage, receives a letter threatening her with death unless she is willing to pay £5,000 within 48 hours. When she has raised the money, she is to place a plain postcard in her window. She calls in her nephew, Norman Brownrigg, who is a member of Scotland Yard. His superior, Detective Inspector Evans, accompanies him to investigate the case. Slight suspicion attaches itself to Sydney Martin, Miss Brownrigg’s secretary. However, the investigators determine  to place the card in the window and await developments. A further communication tells Miss Brownrigg that she is to make a parcel of the money and go to the bargain basement of a large department store. She takes a dummy package and her bag is snatched in the crowd. She receives a last warning—unless she pays by 11.00 p.m. the threat will be fulfilled. It is signed like the previous notes by a pair of black wings. Inspector Evans, Norman Brownrigg, Sydney Martin, and Elsa Waring, a young friend of Miss Brownrigg, agree to spend the evening with her to see that no harm befalls her. The fatal hour strikes, nothing has happened. Miss Brownrigg suggests refreshments. She takes one sip of her coffee and the next instant crashes forward into her nephew’s arms.

‘I didn’t mean to kill him!’Stories of Crime & Detection Volume Six contains a full-length novel and a novelette.Cross Marks the Spot.  Actress Cicely Foster is invited to movie mogul Jacob Singerman’s flat to discuss a role in a ‘talkie’. Singerman makes advances on Cicely and she fights him off, striking his head in a struggle.  Reporter Julian Mendoza, ‘the bloodhound of Fleet Street,’ sees Cicely flee the building, and discovers the mogul murdered. Cicely’s blood-spattered glove and opened purse are at the scene of the crime and he tracks her down. It looks bleak for Cicely…but for the small matter of the corpse having been found with a bullet between his eyes. Mendoza’s investigation leads him to Colossal Pictures and the world-famous director Gustav Von Blon. The Sundial Drug Mystery   During a stormy night, three actors are travelling to the Norwich Theatre when their car breaks down. They arrive outside a deserted mansion and force their way in.  A series of mysterious events ratchet up the tension, and the trio become aware they have trespassed into a hornet’s nest of mystery and intrigue. JAMES JACK RONALD (1905-1972) was a prolific writer of pulp fiction, mystery stories and dramatic novels. Raised in Glasgow, Ronald moved to Chicago aged seventeen to ‘earn his fortune’, later returning to the UK to pursue a writing career. His early works were serializations and short stories syndicated in newspapers and magazines around the world. Ronald wrote under a number of pseudonyms, including Michael Crombie, Kirk Wales, Peter Gale, Mark Ellison and Kenneth Streeter among others. Several books were adapted into films, including Murder in the Family (1938), The Witness Vanishes (1939), and The Suspect (1944).

Crime reporter Julian Mendoza is neither young nor good-looking, nor blue-blooded.  He smokes a filthy pipe, has a marvellous landlady from Scotland, walks with a limp, is kind to down-and-outs but unkind to policemen, is rude to society ladies; and is quite prepared to do anything to ensure his reputation as the greatest crime reporter in Fleet Street.Burglar Bill Cuffy breaks into blues singer Adele Valée’s apartment to steal her jewellery and cash, assuming she is at a night club performing. He stumbles across her dead body in the bathroom and is shocked to discover she has been brutally murdered. He flees the scene and ends up at Julian Mendoza’s home where he faces the formidable Mrs. MacDougal. Cuffy is one of several murder suspects that materialise as Mendoza sets out to uncover the truth about Adele Valée’s life and discover her murderer.

‘If that ain’t jest like life!  King Kennedy goin’ fifteen hundred miles t’ git shot with his own gun.’ Stories of Crime & Detection Volume Nine contains a novel and a novelette:Murder for Cash (The Fatal .45)  When aged millionaire rancher King Kennedy is murdered in Chicago, his old friend Sleepy Gus Williams and Kennedy’s son Dolf hunt the killers. They are soon identified as the well-known racketeers, Whispering Benny and The Carnation Kid, who will bump off anyone for money. But who inherits Kennedy’s millions? The murder weapon, a Colt .45, is disposed of in the river after the shooting, but it harbours an important secret, and doesn’t stay submerged for long.  An inventive gangster thriller. The Man Who Made Monsters This pulp thriller tells a Fellinian horror story of kidnapping, plastic surgery and madness.  JAMES JACK RONALD (1905-1972) was a prolific writer of pulp fiction, mystery stories and dramatic novels. Raised in Glasgow, Ronald moved to Chicago aged seventeen to ‘earn his fortune’, later returning to the UK to pursue a writing career. His early works were serializations and short stories syndicated in newspapers and magazines around the world. Ronald wrote under a number of pseudonyms, including Michael Crombie, Kirk Wales, Peter Gale, Mark Ellison and Kenneth Streeter among others. Several books were adapted into films, including Murder in the Family (1938), The Witness Vanishes (1939), and The Suspect (1944).

Stories of Crime & Detection Volume Ten contains two novellas and a short story.Counsel for the Defence  A London pawnbroker is murdered and the police find a diamond necklace hidden under the floorboards.  Morphine addict Arnold Hemingway is implicated, but claims he was meeting an old flame Lucy Hemmerde at the time of the killing.  But Lucy has vanished into thin air, and the defence counsel must turn detective to find the real killer. The Awakening of Theodore Wrenn Thirty-six-year-old Theodore Wrenn leads a quiet existence working for elderly solicitors Gentry, Green and Gentry; but his life changes suddenly when his wealthy flamboyant cousin needs to recover some compromising letters. The ensuing hunt leads the diligent Wrenn on a series of adventures that bring love and danger. The Baby and the Gorilla   After catching a local thug nicknamed ‘the Gorilla’, Seargent Kelly is in a reminiscent mood.

‘Eric is dead……and I am certain his death was murder.’ Stories of Crime & Detection Volume Eleven contains a novel and a novella.The Sealed Room Murder Eric Winter is murdered by his Uncle Godfrey, who has made it look like natural causes.  The victim’s sister Patricia suspects foul play and writes a letter to her brother’s friend Alan.  Godfrey learns of his niece’s prying and tries to kill her, but Alan and reporter Larry Milner arrive in the nick of time.  Milner is then determined to prove that Eric Winters death is murder and get the scoop of a lifetime.  He turns amateur sleuth, but his efforts only lead to Godfrey increasing the stakes.  Larry’s detective work may prove deadly for all involved.  The Secret of Hunters Keep  This is a tongue-in-cheek adventure offering romance, murder and secret passages, following Scotland Yard detective Peter Wootton as he unravels a series of baffling events at Hunters Keep.

This final volume of the James Ronald series contains a full-length novel, She Got what She Asked For, a swift moving American story of detection set in New York, and a novella, The Lonely Man, set in Scotland.She Got What She Asked For Up-and-coming architect Nick Abott married Claire, a beautiful but avaricious woman. The marriage is an unhappy one and Nick becomes a penniless drunk.  He goes to visit Claire to discuss a divorce, but is hit from behind on her doorstep.  When Nick awakens inside the apartment, Claire is dead and his fingerprints are on pistol laying beside her body.   It is down to an unconventional detective team to prove Nick innocent by fair means or foul.The Lonely Man   Actress Deborah Vail is driving from London to Garnock, Scotland to visit a cousin.  A flat tyre on a lonely stretch of road leads her to the secluded home of a mysterious artist, Andrew Garvin, a man shunned by a whole community who suspect him of murdering his wife.  Deborah rapidly finds herself in a mystery of prejudice and intrigue.